Team in Training Inspiration Dinner

Our coaches!

It is a Team In Training tradition to have an inspirational dinner the night before the big event.  This is a time to celebrate and think about the reason we are together.  We think about those we have lost, and we celebrate those we have saved from all of the funds we worked hard to raise.  This is always a emotional event.

My team met together in the hotel lobby and we walked together to the Moscone center, the site of the inspiration dinner.  In true TNT fashion, event participants enter the venue in a "red carpet" welcome.  All of our staff people, coaches, family and fans line the walk way to cheer, scream, howl, blow whistles and bang tambourines in what we call the "heros parade".  This moment always overwhelms me.  I am uncomfortable being called a "hero", although to the people we help, I guess we may be.

The place mats at the tables.

The meal was typical--pasta, meatballs, salad and rolls.  What as special were the speakers.  Again, in true TNT fashion, we got a visit from the "penguin", AKA John Bingham.  John is know as the most famous runner who never won a race.  He told us lots of funny stories about running--most of which we all could relate too.  He told his famous "bite me zone" story that most runners experience some time during their race.  This is a TNT classic.  Our coaches always warn us about the bite me zone.  If you are having a really tough time and want everyone to leave you alone, all you have to say is "bite me zone".  Coaches and Teammates know that this means to leave me alone!

We also had the pleasure to listen to a very special girl name Annalyn.   A few years ago, she was a graduate student and began to not feel well.  She went to the doctor.  In less than 12 hours, she was told she had Leukemia and began chemo.  After some set backs, she is now is remission.  Annalyn told us that she is in remission because of advancement made by the LLS.  She told us that 20 years ago, she would be dead.  She then thanked us for all we have done.  Annalyn and her family formed a huge fundraising team and were going to participate in the event with us.  Hearing Annalyn really touched me. She showed me that I really was making a difference.  That all the fundraising I had worked so hard on really served a purpose.

The president of the LLS in Canada also talked to us.  She told us about some really important research programs the LLS is funding.  There is a drug that is so promising,  a big name drug manufacturer is going to spend a billion dollars to fast track it's FDA approval.  Wow!  A few million raised by US turns into a BILLION dollar drug that could lead to a CURE.  Simply amazing!

A dream is a wish...

--Amy

Team Inspiration Dinner—With a VERY Special (famous) Guest

“The miracle isn’t that I finished.  The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”  --John Bingham

Last Saturday, the night before the big race, over 2,500 of my closest friends, also known as my national network of Team in Training teammates, ascended on the San Diego Convention Central for our traditional Team in Training Inspirational Dinner.  Rumors had been flying around the expo about a very special guest speaker—John Bingham.  I could not wait to get to the dinner to find out if it was true.

I met my team in the lobby of our hotel at 5PM and we walked over to the dinner together.  As we walked into the lobby of the convention center, there were hundreds of TNT staff and family members--some dressed in crazy wigs and costumes--clapping, yelling and cheering for the team members.  Honestly, it was very overwhelming at first.  I did not know what to expect.  All of the sudden all of these people were cheer and yelling for me.  After a few seconds I got into it and started cheering for my teammates too. 

We got our pasta dinner from the buffet and found our tables.  At each seat was a very special placemat that read “at this table sits a HERO”.  I had never really looked at myself or my teammates that way, but I guess to the cancer patients we help, we are.  Each staff member decorated their team’s table.  Stephanie decorated ours in the Hershey theme.  It was fun to walk around and see how the other tables with teams from across the country were decorated. 

After we ate we got to listen to a few speakers.  The first was Jennifer Grandy, the Team in Training National Director.  She had some amazing news to share.  She told us that the national Team in Training San Diego Team raised over $7.3 million!  She also told us how the money would be used.  There is a new, very promising drug that just made it through a phase one clinical trial.  In the trial 28/50 patients went into remission, while only 15/50 went into remission with the old drug.  These results are simply astonishing!  Wouldn’t it be amazing if I was part of finding the cure for cancer! 

After all the seriousness came the fun!  Our guest speaker was the famous penguin runner, John Bingham.  John has written several books on running, and was a writer for Runner’s World Magazine.  John told us lots of funny stories—about the running “bite me zone”, and about sitting in porta potties and why you may never be able to stand up again.  He was very entertaining and inspirational at the same time. 

The Team Inspirational dinner was so perfect to get us in the running mode.  We were reminded of the real reason so many of us trained.  I left the dinner ready to run for such a wonderful cause! If you would like to donate, I am still taking donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  There is a link on the upper right. 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy